As is widely known, a kickstand is a device for propping a vehicle, which would otherwise fall over, in an upright position, and which can be retracted for stowage when the vehicle is to be operated. Thus, it is desirable for a kickstand to be securely lockable in a parking position, while, at the same time, being easily retracted into its stowage position. For many kickstand configurations, these functions are seemingly mutually exclusive, i.e., the more immovable the kickstand is from its locked parking position, the more difficult it is to retract the kickstand into its stowage position.
The prior art is replete with stands for vehicles that simultaneously provide secure locking in the parking position and retract in a manner that is easy to operate. Such a vehicle stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,977 issued to Bookbinder. The Bookbinder stand is not a kickstand, per se, i.e., positioned into the parking and stowage positions by an operator's foot, but rather utilizes a motor-driven screw jack to extend and retract a longitudinally extending leg. The leg is coupled to a reversible motor through a limited torque coupling which terminates the extending operation upon firm contact with the parking surface.
Whereas, the stand of Bookbinder is convenient to operate and is reasonably secure against accidental retraction, the mechanism is extremely complex and involves an electric motor. Not only do these factors weigh heavily on the cost of the stand, but the vehicle may also be rendered unsafe to operate should an electrical failure occur in the circuit of the stand while the stand is in its extended parking position. The potential problems encountered when using electrically driven stands are avoided entirely through the use of simple, mechanically operated kickstands. Moreover, simple kickstands are much less expensive than their electrically operated counterparts and are much easier to install.
A simpler kickstand, which also implements a locking mechanism, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,423 issued to Ruth. In Ruth, each of a plurality of steel balls is motivated by gravity in and out of a corresponding recess formed in an extendable leg. When the kickstand is in the stowage position, the steel ball falls back into its recess thereby disengaging from a recess formed in an outer member of the kickstand. When the kickstand is to be used for parking, the operator rotates the kickstand towards the ground, whereby the plurality of steel balls fall, by the influence of gravity, towards the open end of their respective recesses and against the outer member. The operator may then adjust the length of the kickstand by extending the extendable leg from the outer member, whereby one of the steel balls engages with the recess formed therein. The applied pressure of the vehicle weight on the steel ball through the recess of the outer member maintains the selected length.
Ruth uses gravitational forces to reinforce the locked relationship between the extendable leg and the outer member to prevent longitudinal retraction of the stand, but does not securely lock the kickstand in the parking position. There are no reinforcing mechanisms to inhibit an accidental rotation of the kickstand towards the stowage position. As such, if the vehicle were to be “bumped” from the rear, it is possible for the kickstand to collapse, which, in the case of vehicles such as motorcycles, may result in substantial damage.
In light of the shortcomings of the prior art, the need is felt for a kickstand with a reinforced parking position locking mechanism, providing thereby a stable support for even heavy vehicles, yet of a simple, easily installed construction.